Spokesperson of SHATIU Dr. Hanan Al Fayyad (left) with other officials during the event.
Kuwait: Kuwait’s 47th International Book Fair has devoted a seminar on the Sheikh Hamad Award for Translation and International Understanding (SHATIU) as one of the foremost awards supporting cultural dialogue and knowledge-sharing among peoples.
The seminar was held at the fair’s cultural pavilion to shine a spotlight on SHATIU which was established by the State of Qatar, in terms of its objectives in promoting international understanding through translation as a bridge for communication between cultures.
The event featured interviews with a pantheon of past winners, along with snapshots and video clips showcasing the milestones of SHATIU’s curators who traversed the world.
Moderated by Nasser Al Haybah, Spokesperson of SHATIU Dr. Hanan Al Fayyad, and member of the SHATIU’s media team Dr. Imtinan Al Samadi addressed the event, with Al Fayyad underscoring that translation has been the broadest means of dispelling ignorance about the nature of the other, exploring human essence, and investing in culture, thought, and awareness to serve the humanity.
She highlighted that translation has the potential to be a path to untangle the conflicts of this world, replace violence with peace, and establish balanced openness in place of isolation and racism, adding that SHATIU was established in the context of promoting rapprochement among humans in light of conflicts that have been engulfing the world and stemming from Qatar’s deep awareness of the pivotal role of translation in advancing Arab nations throughout history, with a strong belief in the resurgence of this role, with Arab world spearheading the mission of transferring science and knowledge from other languages, culminating in restoring its standing accordingly, she added.
Having been established in 2015, with an initiative from the State of Qatar, SHATIU primarily aims to honour translators, back efforts that forge cultural and civilizational understanding among nations, encourage translation to and from Arab languages, and highlight the significance of translation in the humanitarian space, Al Fayyad underlined, emphasizing that the award underpins three criteria, mainly transparency, quality and diversity.
Dr. Hanan Al Fayyad stressed the importance of linguistic diversity, which is highlighted each season, emphasizing that the professionalism and transparency of SHATIU’s committee have given the award significant credibility in global cultural circles. This has culminated in it becoming a cultural project that spans the globe, a decade after its inception.
In her closing remarks, Dr. Al Fayyad affirmed that translation is a cultural act in which translators engage in interpretation between two languages striving to translate one language into another, positioning themselves as ambassadors of culture and mediators between nations and peoples.
